Sunday marked the end of round 2 — round 3 starts on Tuesday. PGE Vive Kielce and Orlen Wisła Płock are playing their first games in the EHF Champions League. This round will also feature one televised match, between Wisła Płock and Sandra Spa Pogoń Szczecin.
What to expect from Zagłębie?
Though their performance in the previous season was poor, Zagłębie was the one team that came close to defeating Vive, ultimately losing by just one point, 28-29. Like PGE Vive Kielce, Lubin also kicked off this season with two wins. Led by a Superleague legend, Bartłomiej Jaszka, they upped their game considerably. Still, defeating the Polish Champions, with their new stars (Mamic, Duyshebaev, Janc), in Kielce, is going to be a challenge. But who knows — the young Lubin players might still surprise us.
PGE Vive Kielce–Zagłębie Lubin, September 12, 2017, 6:30 PM
Will Wisła continue their hot streak in the match against Pogoń?
Wisła began the season with confidence, comfortably winning the first games, thus setting out on their way to the top. The same cannot be said for Pogoń, who started off on the wrong foot, losing against Meble Wójcik Elbląg and Wybrzeże Gdańsk. Watch the face-off between Wisła and Pogoń on Canal+ Sport.
Orlen Wisła Płock–Sandra Spa Pogoń Szczecin, September 13, 2017, 6:15 PM, Canal+ Sport
The newly promoted team comes to Kwidzyn
Like Pogoń, the Kwidzyn team also lost their first games, played against seasoned opponents — Vive and Górnik. Last season, Kwidzyn came 4th. Now, if they want to remain part of the elite, they cannot afford to lose against the newcomers. Spójnia played quite a good game last round,
losing to Górnik by just 3 goals. This week’s match against Kwidzyn is sure to be an interesting one.
MMTS Kwidzyn–Spójnia Gdynia, September 16, 2017, 5:00 PM
Gwardia to play host in their new arena
Gwardia and Wybrzeże impressed fans last season, playing well while relying on young players. Face to face, Gwardia won twice, Wybrzeże once. It is hard to tell who the favorite is in the coming match, though Gwardia have the home advantage.
Are we to see another penalty shootout?
Last round, Piotrkowianin gave Azoty a hard time, taking the game into penalty shootout for the first time this season. The Puławy team kept their cool, though, and secured a win. For Elbląg, this season looks much better than the last. The team won their first game, and put up a fierce fight before giving in to Gwardia Opole in round 2.
Azoty Puławy–Meble Wójcik Elbląg, September 16, 2017, 6:00 PM
Hard contest against Piotrkowianin
This may well be the closest game of this round. Out of the 9 games KPR and Piotrkowianin played against one another, Legionowo won 5. Inflamed by their last-minute defeat in the penalty shootout against Azoty, Piotrkowianin desperately want their points.
KPR Legionowo–Piotrkowianin Piotrków Trybunalski, September 17, 2017, 4:00 PM
Will Górnik stay in the lead?
NMC Górnik Zabrze had a great start into the season, winning against Kwidzyn and then defeating Spójnia Gdynia to take the lead in the Blue group. Now, if they want to stay at the top, they need to beat Chrobry Głogów, which is not going to be easy. Chrobry played a solid game against Wisła Płock, with a great performance from the two Głogów goalies, Stachera and Kapela.
NMC Górnik Zabrze–Chrobry Głogów, September 17, 2017, 5:00 PM
The newly promoted Kalisz team have yet to earn their first points this season. Their next chance is the game against Stal, who have a slightly better standing after their home victory over Legionowo. Stal’s new center back from Croatia, Rudolf Cuzić, had a great debut in the PGNiG Superleague, largely contributing to his team’s success. Let’s see what he has up his sleeve for Kalisz.
MKS Kalisz–Stal Mielec, September 17, 2017, 6:30 PM
